A Snuffed Candle
by Cozziellamas
Summary: "His eyes were mere slivers, betraying the hate, anger, and sorrow embedded in his tortured soul...May the Lord have mercy on him," he tried, but she was gone, just like that. Please, NO FLAMING!


** A Snuffed Candle...**

** Please don't hate me for this fic! The inspiration for this started out as a dream I had a while ago, so please, no flaming, if you don't like it, well, too bad, this was just an idea I had.**

**-O-**

"Gregor, Queen Luxa! It is time!" a soldier on a rusty bat called.

Gregor nodded, and looked to his love, Luxa, Queen of Regalia, the city of the Underland humans.

"Are you ready?" his voice had matured drasticly in the last three years.

"Yes," Luxa replied shortly, her voice also much more mature.

They were flying over the Gnawer's lands, looking for a cave holding the terrorist Gnawer group, Baneshed, the followers of the long dead Pearlpelt, Bane of the Underland.

"Good. Alright! You know the drill! Dive!" Gregor said.

His world spiraled as his flier dove, swirling dramaticly through the air.

The first rats were silenced before they could give the alarm, allowing the humans to creep into the large cave. Several rats lay about, drinking out of Slimer shells, or plotting their next attack on a wall, using blood and white chalk-like material to paint out plans with skilled paws.

Gregor and his squad of thirty humans charged in, taking the rats by surprise. The gnawer's retaliated fiercely. But the fight ended almost as soon as it started, the few rats were slain instantly by the humans, falling with dull thudding sounds.

"Good job, team, let's take five," Gregor said, earning a smile from Luxa.

"Yes, we need to get back to Regalia, we must plan, this was not the only Baneshed group," Luxa said, sighing.

-O-

"So, the largest Baneshed group is here," Gregor pointed to a map sprawled on the large stone table. "We need to attack immediately, the gnawer's will hear of the slaughter in the Big Cave hideout," he concluded.

"Yes sir, I will inform your squad," a silver haired man said, saluting to his better.

"Thanks," Gregor replied curtly.

He let out a huff of exhaustion, and walked over to a polished silver shield, observing his reflection.

Yep, the last three years had been rough on Gregor; scars, new and old, covered his hands, occasionally dotting his face. His hair was untidy, though it still look okay, but war, rats didn't care if your do was a don't... He had grown taller, his stringy, and noodle-like arms had left, they were now well muscled, forged from the very heat of battle.

Gregor rubbed his face, brushing off a bit of dried blood from the earlier attack.

The peace with the rats had ended two years ago, when several unknown humans assassinated a nest of gnawer pups one night, causing war. The Baneshed Terrorist's were formed several months later, and returned to favor, sneaking into the palace and murdering many children before one woke and screamed, causing the rats to flee... times were hard.

His thoughts were interrupted by a slim arm winding around his waist.

"How goes it?" Luxa asked, her lilac eyes sparkling in the torchlight.

Gregor planted a soft kiss on her forehead, "Fine, I guess, we leave soon. Who has two thumbs and just wants a break?" he asked, putting up his thumbs, then pointed them to himself, "This guy!" Luxa gave a rare laugh, then unwound her arm from his waist.

"Come on, they're waiting for us," she smiled, taking his hand in hers.

-O-

"We are rested, and ready to go, sir," the Underlander from the chart-room said.

chart-room

"Thanks. Alright, mount up!" Gregor shouted.

His squadron of fifty humans leapt onto a rainbow of bats, and took to the air, wispy tendrils swirling around them, aiding the flight.

-O-

Some two hours later, Gregor felt Nike, Queen of the fliers, tense.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

They had coasted down low, only ten to thirteen feet of air separated them from the ground. The bat had no chance to answer, a rat leaped into the air, catching her wing and spinning her down. Before she hit, Gregor jumped, rolling in the dust until he sprang up, sword drawn.

"Ambush! Ambush!" he shouted, clicking insanely to keep up with the rats.

His alarm was greeted with several thumps as people jumped off bats, landing nimbly on the ground.

"Haha! So very pathetic, human. You will rue the day you murdered our pups! You will rue it!" a rat sniggered.

"We don't want trouble!" it was a lie, but, this wasn't their mission, the Baneshed's needed to be taken out.

"Oh? Then why are you traveling with over two score highly trained warriors, armed, and flying in our land?" it sneered.

"You tell 'em, Kade!" one shouted.

"Silence! Attack! Leave no survivors, take no prisoners! Kill them all!" Kade shrieked.

The rats charged. Claws and teeth collided with iron and steel.

Gregor found they were unfairly outnumbered, the rats had well at least ninety, while Gregor had fifty, cut that, forty, five of his squad went down.

"Don't let them win! We must fight for Regalia! For the children they killed!" he heard Luxa shout.

-O-

The battle was hard, hot, and dusty, humans and rat were dropping like flies left and right. Gregor was finishing up a spin, killing many rats when he leaped into the air, and slammed his sword down in a diagonal slash. Panting hard, he clicked, the rats were thinning out dramaticly, as were the humans, though, the chances were promising... He clicked again, check in up on Luxa. She seemed to be doing good, she and another Underlander were back to back, mowing down rats like a weed whacker.

Gregor continued his own battle, sending droplets of blood spinning through the air, leaving his blade slick with the crimson liquid.

-O-

By now, there were only six humans, Gregor, Luxa, and four other Underlanders Gregor had no name for. Twelve rats still fought, slashing and ripping with all their might.

Gregor was coated in sticky, hot blood. The dust had turned to a pasty mud, gumming between claws, and bogging down feet.

Two more humans went down, as did another eight rats.

Gregor spun, a rat fell from his blade. _Click! _No rats came forward. _Click! _They were surrounding Luxa!

Gregor ran forward, trying to reach her. He was stopped when four rats split off from the group, attacking him and the last two humans. _Click! _He lopped gnawer's head off, and bashed another's skull in with his sword hilt. _Click! _

As he ran through the last rat, he clicked, and his world went into slow motion, reminding him of another battle long ago...

Luxa stabbed her sword into the ribs of a rat, and yanked it out. She stood upright, not detecting the rat behind her. The gnawer snapped it's teeth. As Luxa whirled, the rat leaped at her, claws extended. Two slashed across the side of her face, the last swiped over her throat, cutting the major artery in the side of her neck. She gave as gasp, and hacked the rat's head off, and held a hand to her neck.

Gregor dashed over to her, catching her as she crumpled. He sat down, her back resting in his lap.

Blood poured from the two slashes on her face, the one on her neck pumped the life giving liquid out, covering his hands.

"Luxa!" he gasped.

"Gregor?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me," his tongue darted out to lick his dry lips.

"Gregor, it's getting darker," she said faintly.

"No! Luxa, you can't go!" Gregor said in a near sob.

"Gregor-"

"No! We can fly you to Regalia, and get help! Please..." he broke in.

"Gregor!" she said sternly, "I wouldn't make it!" she said, her breath was shallow and labored, "Just remember, Gregor, I will _always _love you..." she said.

"I love you too, Luxa,"

"Goodbye, Gregor... I love you..." her chest stilled, never again to rise, her heart stopped, never to pump ever. Luxa's eyes clouded over.

"Goodbye," He kissed two fingers, and closed her eyes with them, then hugged her still form to himself, and wept, his hot, ugly tears mingling with Luxa's cooling blood. He stood, and picked up his dead love, cradling her in his arms. She was a lively flame that morning, and now she was nothing more than a snuffed candle.

"Overlander! We have won! No! Queen Luxa!" an Underlander gasped, "The Queen is... dead!" another whispered.

"We need to get back to Regalia," Gregor said numbly.

"Yes, Overlander,"

-O-

Now, Gregor was flying out to Baneshed's largest hideout. Kade had gotten away in the attack. Later that day, Gregor had learned the rat was the leader of Baneshed, and now, it was time for him to make his move.

"I will avenge you, Luxa, I will. You hear me rats? I will hunt you all to the last human, I will make your lives miserable, I _will_ have my revenge!" Gregor said quietly.

-O-

_"His eyes were mere slivers, betraying the hate, anger, and sorrow embedded in his tortured soul...May the Lord have mercy on him," _

_~Lady Cosmic Brownie_

**-O-**

**-I'm so sad! I'm sorry I did that to you guys, but this was a real dream I had a while ago, and I could not resist! I have been working up the courage to post it, because I know this will earn me much hate mail! Thanks for reading!**

**-The theme song for this is Prelude 12/21, by AFI. It doesn't fit exactly, but, it works. ;) **


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